Books I Read in February 2019

Yes, I re-read Harry Potter for the billionth time. My husband and I were rewatching the movies, and I was so stressed out and in pain that I thought it would be the perfect read for my mindset. It was! I’m skipping the next two as Chamber of Secrets is my least favorite, and I read Prisoner of Azkaban last year. I’m excited to get into the arc more, however, my library books take precedence.

Another re-read was ‘The Last Namsara’ by Kristen Ciccarelli. I read this book last year and absolutely loved it. It’s one of my favorites. The Author released a second book that I had on hold so I decided to read this one first. The second book in the series is ‘The Caged Queen’. I also loved it, but it didn’t hold me as the first one did. The Last Namsara has a strong female lead protagonist, dragons, forbidden romance, and legends. The Caged Queen also has a strong female protagonist but is more of a political story in dealing with the main character being a newly appointed queen, married to someone who seems to be a fool, but has secrets of his own, and dealing with the loss of her twin sister.

Another amazing read was ‘The History of Bees’ by Maja Lunde. It is so beautifully written and I was immediately dropped into these three characters lives. I find this book rather melodic in its writing. Its a bit heartwrenching of a story but I just kept moving along with it. Despite others feeling that it is a slow start, I was rather intrigued by the very first page.

This dazzling and ambitious literary debut follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present, and future, weaving a spellbinding story of their relationship to the bees, to their children, and to one another against the backdrop of an urgent, global crisis.

Ta-Nehisi Coates keeps delivering powerful books to the world. I love his voice and that he does not change it to cater to a white audience. He is profound in his narration and it, in my mind, this is an absolute must-read.

Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?

I am so happy that Reese Witherspoon has her own imprint. I think her choices are splendid, and I enjoy spotting her sticker. Something in the Water is a bit of a slow build. I enjoyed the story once it got started, but it’s not something that I felt really held me. It’s a good read if you enjoy mysteries.

Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough, Mark a handsome investment banker with big plans. Passionately in love, they embark on a dream honeymoon to the tropical island of Bora Bora, where they enjoy the sun, the sand, and each other. Then, while scuba diving in the crystal blue sea, they find something in the water. . . .